The Pakistan Air Quality Experts Group has deemed Lahore’s first smog control tower ineffective in combating the city’s worsening air pollution. The group emphasized the importance of scientifically backed solutions to address the crisis.
Artificial rain, another proposed method, was also dismissed as impractical for long-term pollution control.
In its November 11, 2023, recommendations, the advisory group outlined strategies to reduce Lahore’s dangerously high PM 2.5 levels. These included closing brick kilns and smelters and restricting heavy vehicles on high-pollution days.
However, temporary enforcement of such restrictions in Lahore has failed to yield lasting improvements, with the city’s air quality now at hazardous levels.
Environmental expert and group coordinator Dawar Rahmeed Butt highlighted the inadequacies of the Punjab government’s smog control efforts. He criticized the smog tower installed in Mehmood Boti, noting that similar towers in China and India were abandoned for being inefficient.
According to Butt, addressing industrial emissions, brick kilns, and vehicular pollution is far more effective than relying on costly and energy-intensive towers.
Data from the Punjab Environment Protection Agency supports these findings. From December 15–31, 2024, Lahore’s Air Quality Index (AQI) ranged between 320 and 742, showing no improvement from the smog tower.